Keep Her Sweet by Helen Fitzgerald is published by Orenda Books on 26th May. I am delighted to be able to participate in the blog tour to celebrate its launch and to offer a great Giveaway- a print copy of the book. Desperate to enjoy their empty nest, Penny and Andeep downsize to
the countryside, to forage, upcycle and fall in love again, only to be
joined by their two twenty-something daughters, Asha and Camille.
Living
on top of each other in a tiny house, with no way to make money,
tensions simmer, and as Penny and Andeep focus increasingly on
themselves, the girls become isolated, argumentative and violent.
When
Asha injures Camille, a family therapist is called in, but she shrugs
off the escalating violence between the sisters as a classic case of
sibling rivalry … and the stress of the family move.
But this is not sibling rivalry. The sisters are in far too deep for that.
This is a murder, just waiting to happen…
Chilling, vicious and darkly funny, Keep Her Sweet is
not just a tense, sinister psychological thriller, but a startling look
at sister relationships and they bonds they share … or shatter.
My Thoughts
I hesitate to describe this novel as domestic noir, although really I suppose it is, centred as it is on family life. It is just that the families you meet are so dysfunctional, you cannot really say they operate as a family. Told from different perspectives, it has a disjointed and at times confusing feel. The family at the heart of the story consists of Mum, Dad and two daughters. You follow events through the perspectives of Mum and Second-born (Camille) and their family therapist, Joy. Of these, Camille speaks in the first person. For the first half of the story, you feel her pain at the hands of her older sister, Asha. Then, events get decidedly sinister.
You also realise that Joy's own family life is not without challenges which gives her insight into the family's problems. There is dark humour in the story but also disturbing and violent moments. Written in a wholly individual style, it can shock and surprise. There are also some interesting themes which underpin the story: parenting and sibling dynamics, a rather strange religious fervour and drug taking. At first much of the violence is passive aggressive but be warned, as the story evolves, it becomes anything but!
In short: destructive family dynamics push you to the edge...
About the Author
Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and
young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was
longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and is now
a major drama for BBC1. Her 2019 dark comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a
Book of the Year in both The Guardian and Daily Telegraph. Helen worked as a
criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria,
Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.
You can read my review of Worst Case Scenario here. | Ash Wednesday here
Thanks to Helen Fitzgerald, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check up on the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a print copy of Keep Her Sweet, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
Closing Date is May 18th 2022
and there is one winner.
*Terms and Conditions –UK only. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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